Centas: coin from Republic of Lithuania; 1/100 litas

CENTAS: COIN OF LITHUANIA

5 centai, 1991: Republic of Lithuania

5 centai, 1991: Republic of Lithuania

5 CENTAI (singular — centas).

A symbolic ornament shaped like a wind vane (a leaf with a cross on top and two small angels blowing trumpets below).

LIETUVA: Lithuania.

Coat of arms of Lithuania: mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as Vytis.

Coin design: Petras Garška (Lithuanian painter, jeweler, sculptor, medalist).

Lithuanian Mint (Vilnius, Lithuania).

  • Aluminium: 24.4 mm - 1.4 g
  • Reference price: 0.2$

COIN CENTAS — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
  1. REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA (1925-1936 + 1991-2014): centas = 1/100 litas

About the name of the coin centas (plural — centai/centų): this Lithuanian small coin, first introduced in 1925, got its name most likely from the Latin term "centesimus", which translates as "hundredth", "one hundredth of something". We are talking about the equality of the centas coin to 1/100 of the local currency litas.
It is characteristic that a number of world coins have a similar etymology: cent, centavo, centesimo, centésimo, centime, céntimo, sente, cêntimo, sentimo...